I will use Google classroom as a platform to post my teacher created Spiral slideshow for grade 5-8 students. I teach this “focus group” three hours a week. This focus group will have more time and be able to go deeper in their thinking and understanding of spirals. The student google slideshows are a deep dive of spiral inquiry in a direction of the student’s choice. I will also review all internet surfing guidelines with them since students will be navigating on their own.
The Google Slide that I post on google classroom will be given to all 5-8 grade students directly for them to explore.
I will facilitate the grade 5-8 learning process of Google slide options with my slideshow. I will answer any questions on Google slide in order for grade 5-8 students to design their own slideshow and find a spiral topic to “teach” or share or orally present. I will give design instructions on how to insert links, photos, change colors, etc. to make a visually strong slideshow.
Students will read Swirl by Swirl Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman for inspiration to see an example of how to write a spiral poem. Students will write a creative writing spiral piece. Students will write or give an oral artist statement to respond to their spiral creation.
After discussing Spirals in nature with all grade levels, the focus group will participate in a lesson on graphic design. During this lesson students will discuss graphic design elements, and principles, lines, shapes, font style, font size, background color, underline links, bold, visually pleasing images, as well as internet concerns or dangers that exist.
Students will pick a direction to follow their own research. Students will create individual three to five minute Google Slide presentations. I want students to consider the visual presentation and aesthetics when designing their own google slideshows. I want students to gain skills in critical thinking of graphic design, layout, cropping photos, font, and complementary color choices during their edit process. Students will experiment with all the google toolbars while simultaneously gaining skills in “seeing” the world around them differently. Students will email me their finished google slide show of their selected spiral topic.
We will be reviewing elements and principles of art in order to make aesthetically pleasing presentations and oil pastel compositions. This focus group will be guided in their oil pastel art techniques. Grades 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes will use oil pastels only. Students will create a spiral inspired work of art in oil pastel. During student studio work time students will view spiral inspired TED talks during our class oil pastel work time. Students can complete a brief written assignment for extra credit noting what new knowledge they might have gained from this unit of study. Students can note anything gained from either their peers, TED or TEDx talks, or me. Students can write their opinion of the talk for extra credit as well.
Students will create a title card to their oil composition art work as well. I wish for students to become experts in their selected spiral direction. I want middle school students who feel passionate about their Spirals and the area that they selected to then “teach” or present their spiral topic, for the K-4 Art classes. I wish for all students to gain “observational spiral seeing skills” as well as writing and technology skills through this Art spiral project. I look forward to seeing what the students teach me as they use critical thinking skills, writing communication skills, creativity, and problem solving skills.
Finally we will review the art of public speaking skills including eye contact, poise, not reading out loud the slide content and other public speaking techniques. Students will have nature spiral lens “upgrades”. Lastly, students fill out self evaluation as well as teacher evaluation of the Spiral unit and address why they selected the google slideshow direction that they did.
